Boardwalk Shadows
by SammyLove01
Summary: Moving to a new town is hard. Moving to a new town after everything Ashley's been through is even harder. Summary isn't the best but I thought it'd be best to leave stuff to the imagination. Parings: Marko/OC/Paul, David/Star
1. Prologue

So new stories guys! Let me know what you think and if you like it let me know. This part is really only a bit of intro chapter then chapter one will start with the movie.

**Prologue:**

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Gunshots rang through the halls of Hillside Academy along with the sounds of teachers and students screaming. Ashley looked to the side at her friend Beth who was clutching her hand tightly as they tried to stay as quiet as possible. Their teacher, Mr. Brighten, was crouched by the door keeping an eye out for the shooter as he talked to the 911 operator.

_Bang!_

Mr. Brighten dropped to the floor; the phone in his hand dropping and sliding away. A bullet hole dripped blood from the middle of his forehead.

Ashley slapped her free hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out loud. Beth jumped and buried her face in Ashley's shoulder to keep from looking at their dead teacher. Ashley however couldn't pull her eyes away from the scene. She felt her body shaking as the door was slammed open and legs clad in black jeans and black sneakers walked in. Closing her eyes she felt tears slipping down her cheeks as the shooter made his way around the room.

"Come out, come out wherever you." he said. She knew his voice but she couldn't place him. She heard his footsteps moving to one of the tables. "Stacey! David!" he exclaimed. "Remember yesterday when you tripped me in hallway? Or when you had your boyfriend here throw me in the trashcan because you thought it would be funny." he laughed cruelly. "Well I think this is funny."

_Bang! Bang!_

Ashley barely restrained herself from screaming as she heard the sounds of the two students screams. Around the room he went shooting the other students that hid under the desks making taunts at them as he did. Finally the shooter was in front of the desk that she and Beth were hiding under. "Hello there!" he said as he bent to look at the two of them.

It was then that she recognized his face. "T-Thomas?" she asked in surprise. "Wh-what are you doing? _Why_ are you doing this?" The three had been friends since they were children. She, Beth, and Thomas, had grown up together when their parents had introduced them to one another when they were four years old.

"Why? _Why?_" he nearly shouted. "Because of how they've treated us! Like we didn't matter! Like we were less than they were. You and I were shunned because we didn't like to wear what they wore, or listen to the music they listened to. And Beth! They kicked her off the cheerleading team all because she was friends with us!"

"That doesn't give you the right to kill them!" she shouted back. "Look around you! Is this really what you want? To be remembered as a murderer?" When Beth looked behind him she noticed one of the football players sneaking up slowly behind Thomas.

"I won't be remembered as a murderer!" Thomas said. "I'll be remembered for bringing justice to this school! For doing what the administration refused to do."

The football player lunged then and tackled Thomas to the ground. The two rolled around on the ground both attempting to hold on to the handgun Thomas had been using. Suddenly the gun went off and the bullet went soaring through the air and toward Beth.

Thinking fast Ashley shoved her friend out of the way and felt her left knee crumble as pain exploded through her leg. She screamed as she dropped down clutching her leg.

_Bang!_

Another shot went off and this time the bullet sliced through her left shoulder.

Ashley lay on the ground in a pool of her own blood as tears slid down her cheeks from the pain. Her vision was becoming cloudy as darkness began creeping around the edges of her eye sight. Vaguely she heard someone calling for her. Felt the sensation of being lifted and placed on something soft. Before she fully lost consciousness she saw the faces of her brothers, Michael and Sam, and her mother Lucy.


	2. Chapter 1

Next chapter guys I hope you like it and give me feedback! It only helps to make me better!

**Chapter 1:**

_One year later…._

Ashley sat in the back of the car with her twin brother Michael and their dog Nanook as she read one of her books while her mother drove down the road. "We're getting close…" Lucy said.

Sam sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

Lucy took a deep breath. "Ocean air."

"Smells like death."

Lucy glanced in the rearview mirror so she could see both Michael and Ashley. "Look guys I know it hasn't been easy what with the divorce, the shooting…" Her eyes locked with Ashley as she said this. Ashley glanced away looking down at the ground as her hand unconsciously started rubbing where the second bullet had hit her shoulder just inches above her heart. "And now the move...but I think you're really going to like living in Santa Carla."

Both Michael and Sam looked skeptical but Ashley didn't really care either way as she looked out the window. Lucy sighed. "How about some music." She flipped the radio on and a country song was soon flowing through the car.

"Keep going." Sam said.

An easy listening station came on next. "Keep going." Michael said.

The next station she found had Donovan singing _Mellow Yellow_. "Keep going." both brothers said.

Lucy laughed. "Wait. Haight-Ashbury! The summer of love! _Mellow Yellow_."

Michael, Sam, and Ashley all look at each other. "Keep going!" they said together while laughing. Lucy laughed with them as she flipped to a rock station.

They passed a billboard that read _Welcome to Santa Carla_. On the back someone had spray painted the words _Murder Capital Of The World_.

* * *

When they pulled into Grandpa's driveway Michael hopped off of his bike and helped Ashley out of the car. After the shooting the bullet that had hit her in the leg had left her knee in a bad state so she now walked with a permanent limp. The surgeons had done what they could but there hadn't been much that they could do. Pulling her back on over her shoulders she grabbed her cane and carefully followed after her mother.

The small family of four step up onto the porch. "He looks dead." Michael said.

"Oh he's just a deep sleeper." Lucy said as she crouched by Grandpa. "Dad? Dad?"

"He's not breathing Mom…" Ashley said.

"If he's dead can we move back to Phoenix?" Sam asked.

Before either Ashley, Michael, or Lucy could smack him Grandpa began laughing. "Playin' dead...and from what I heard doing a damn good job of it too."

The three teens looked at each other before following after Grandpa and Lucy into the house. After each person claimed a room they looked around the house for a bit. "Grandpa does not own a T.V. Have you noticed? There's no T.V. Santa Carla has no malls, no Cineplexes and now I won't even have MTV." Sam pouted.

"Sam we're flat broke." Ashley said from where she was leaning back against the wall.

He looked at her. "Even poor people have TV's."

She rolled her eyes. "You know you might want to try reading for a change. And I don't mean comic books."

Sam made a face at her as he followed after his older siblings as they made their way back inside.

As Ashley was exploring the living room she suddenly heard Sam and Michael come running down the stairs. She shook her head as she watched the two run around before suddenly coming to a halt inside one of the rooms. Ashley furrowed her eyebrows as she walked in behind them. "Ok." she said. "That's a bit creepy…"

Sam and Michael nodded.

"Rules!" Grandpa suddenly shouted as he appeared behind them. "We got some rules around here." He motioned for them to follow and three did. In the kitchen he opened the refrigerator door. "Second shelf is mine... keep my root beers and double-thick Mint Oreo cookies there... Nobody touches the second shelf…" He closed the door and walked back into the living room.

Michael noticed a small cropping of plants growing outside and pointed it out to his siblings. Ashley laughed while Sam looked confused. Rolling her eyes she made smoking gesture with her hand and the youngest Emmerson finally got it and laughed too.

Entering the living room Grandpa looked at all three of them. "When the mailman brings the _TV Guide_ on Wednesdays, sometimes the corner of the address label will curl up... You'll be tempted to peel it off. Don't. You'll end up rippin' the cover and I don't like that." He walked over to the taxidermy room. "And stay out of here!"

Sam's head shot up. "So you do have a TV?" he called.

"No. I just like to read the _TV Guide_. Read the _TV Guide_ and you don't need a TV."

The three looked at each other rolling their eyes before going to finish unpacking their rooms.

* * *

The next night they heard about a concert on the beach right by the boardwalk and all decided to go. Michael and Sam decided to go to the concert while Lucy and Ashley walked the boardwalk. "How do you like Santa Carla Sweetie?" Lucy asked.

Ashley shrugged. "It's alright so far." she said. "I'm just glad to be out and away from...well everything." She looked down as the walked letting her naturally curly hair fall around her face. After the shooting people had shunned Beth and her even more than they already had. They had all believed that because the two had been friends with Thomas they were somehow in on the entire thing. Beth's parents had moved her away a few months after the shooting took place. Ashley hadn't been so lucky. Her father had refused to let her "take the easy way out" as he called it and made her stay. It wasn't until Michael had found out that the other students had been physically bullying her that Lucy had finally said enough. She'd pulled her kids out of school and filed for divorce the next day.

Lucy looked at her daughter. "I'm glad Sweetie. You'll like it a lot here. I promise."

Ashley smiled at her mother as the two walked up to a bulletin board. There were fliers advertising stores, apartments, and some help wanted papers but the most notable were the missing posters. As they were looking a woman came up and placed a new poster on the board of security guard. The woman looked sad as she looked at the picture and Ashley assumed the woman was his wife. The two Emmerson women move away to continue down the boardwalk. As they go they pass a small boy crying on the street.

"Are you alright Sweetie?" Lucy asks as they crouched down to talk to him. The boy shook his head. "Are you lost?" Nodding the little boy started crying harder. "Come on I'll help you find your mother."

"Mom." she said gaining Lucy's attention. "I think I'm going to wander around a bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll met up with you later at the car."

Lucy looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Be careful." She looked at the little boy and gave him a small smile. "Come on Sweetie lets see if we can find your mother."

Ashley watched her mother head into a video store before turning and making her way down the boardwalk. As she was walking she stopped at a small store that had tons of art supplies in it. Smiling she pushed the door open and walked in. She loved to draw. It was one of the things that helped to keep her calm, especially after the shooting. Wandering through the store she picked up a thick sketchbook, some new charcoal pencils, and some colored pencils. She had used up the last of her stuff before coming here and she was so glad to have found the little store. And the prices weren't bad either. After paying the cashier she left the store and walked a bit more.

Walking the the boardwalk with a cane wasn't the easiest thing to do as the end of the cane kept catching the uneven boards. After nearly falling a few times she finally got the hang of walking down the uneven planks. She stopped to watch a man with a guitar when she saw them.

Jason and Katie. They were twins that had gone to Hillside with her. They were also her main tormentors after the shooting. As she was about to turn away and go in the other direction the two spotted her. Biting her lip she turned to leave and try and lose them in the crowd but with her limp she was too slow. The twins easily caught up with her. "Ashley!" Katie said in a fake cheery voice. "What are you doing here in Santa Carla?"

"I-I just moved he-here." she stuttered. Even as she attempted to move away from the two they were able to somehow steer her away from the crowd. "Wh-what are you guys doing here?"

"Oh we came to visit some family that live around here." Jason said. He draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her roughly to his side. "So how have you been?"

"Fi-fine." she said as she attempted to pull away from the two. They were having none of it however as Jason tightened his hold to nearly bruising force. "I-I need t-to get back to my mother. Sh-she'll be l-looking for me."

The two ignored her however as they pulled her into a deserted area. Once away from the crowd the two lost their fake kindness as they shoved her into a wall. "So Ashley have you talked to Thomas recently?" Katie asked as she sneered at her.

She shook her head. "N-no! He sends me letters sometimes but I've never responded to them." She looked at the two of them her green eyes wide with fear. "Ca-can't you guys stop bothering me? Please. I had nothing to do with what happened and I was just as much a victim as you two were."

Both burst out laughing at that. "You were no victim!" Jason suddenly shouted as he approached her. He grabbed her cane from her and tossed it away from them. His hand reached out and wrapped around her neck as he slammed her back into the wall behind her. "Because of you our friends died! You may not have been the one with the gun but you knew about it! You knew he was going to bring a gun to the school!"

Her hands reached up and scratched at the hand that was wrapped around her throat. "No!" she gasped out. "I swear I didn't know! I would have stopped him had I known!" It was becoming harder to speak as he tighten his hand around her throat.

"Don't kill her yet Jason." Katie said. "Let me take a few shots at her first." Jason let go of her throat and Ashley dropped to the ground. "You should have been one of the ones to die Ashley. Not Stacey and David. They were good people with good futures coming their way. You are _nothing_." Her foot came out and slammed into her stomach. "Worthless." Her foot connected with her jaw causing her head to snap back and blood to fill her mouth. "Pathetic." Another kick to the stomach. "And useless!" Katie kicked her once more in the face.

Ashley lay still on the ground moaning softly in pain as she clutched her stomach. Her brown hair covered her face and stained in her own blood. Her body ached as she felt the bruises forming already. _Why?_ she thought. _Why can't they just leave me alone? Why must I be their scapegoat for the things that they did? It was because of them that Thomas brought the gun to school. It was because of their treatment of him and me and Beth that caused him to snap. Why do I have to take the blame?_ Tears dripped down her face mixing with the blood and dirt that already covered her.

Katie smirked as she looked down at the beaten girl. She shook her hair out and looked at her brother. "Why don't you have some fun with her for a bit? I'm thirsty so I'll go get a drink. Do what you want with her just don't kill her until I get back."

Ashley closed her eyes as she saw Jason approaching her. She felt his hands on her as he flipped her on her back as she began to sob in earnest now. She hated what she had become. She used to be strong. She didn't stutter when she talked to people. She would never have let anyone treat her the way that they did now. After the shooting and being beaten down by her classmates she had lost who she was. She was no longer strong.

Jason grabbed hold of the light jacket she was wearing and ripped it off of her. The cool air of the night brushed against her arms as she closed her eyes tightly. "Pl-please don't." she whispered.

Suddenly someone screamed and Jason let go of her shirt which he was about to rip off of her. "Katie!" he shouted as he jumped up.

_Keep your eyes closed._ a voice whispered in her mind. Ashley didn't know why but she listened. She kept her eyes closed as she heard feet shuffling around on the ground. She kept them closed as she heard both Jason and Katie crying out. She kept them closed when they sounds died out.

A cold hand touched her her swollen cheek lightly. "You can open your eyes now." the voice said. It was the someone that had spoken in her mind but this time out loud. With great effort she pried her eyelids opened and looked up at the blonde crouching over her.


	3. Chapter 2

Another chapter guys! Please tell me what you think!

**Chapter 2:**

Marko looked down at the girl curled up on the ground. She was so just physically but she also seemed to want to make herself even smaller as she curled into a ball. Her eyes were a beautiful green color yet there was a sadness in her eyes. "Marko." Paul called. "Is she alright?" he asked as he slowly approached.

Marko looked at Paul and gave a small shake of his head. "She's hurt." he looked back at the girl who was looking at him fearfully. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked her softly.

"A-Ashl-ley Em-Emmer-s-son." she gasped out. She suddenly started coughing violently and he saw blood fly from her mouth. Thinking quickly Marko carefully lifted her up and turned her so that she could breathe properly.

"_Ashley!_" someone shouted at the mouth of the alley that they were in. Marko looked up in time to see the guy that had been following Star around. He took one look at the bloodied girl on the ground and then at Marko and Paul. "What the fuck did you do to my sister?" he shouted as he made his way toward them.

"We didn't do anything to her." Paul said as he stood in front of Marko and Ashley blocking the guys path. "We got here and found her like this."

The girl looked around groggily. "Mi-Michael?"

The guy, Michael, glared at Paul and shoved past him to get to his sister's side. Paul could have easily taken the boy down but he wouldn't. He didn't want to scare the girl any more than she already was.

Paul watched as Marko reluctantly pulled away from the girl and allowed her brother to get to her. Both looked at each other, their eyes flashing slightly as they watched the boy with Ashley. Both had recognized the signs of The Call when the felt her close by. They had felt her the night before too but she was unfortunately not at the boardwalk like they had hoped. The minute they had gotten there however they had felt her. They had seen her outside the video store with that woman Max liked and had wanted to go to her but David had told them to feed first. And so they had. Then they had felt her distress. Both had left their brothers and came to her but not before she had been hurt. Not before the two had hurt the girl.

Felling his fangs poking at his gums ready to extend once more Paul shook his head to get rid of thoughts of the two. They were both dead. Both he and Marko had made sure of that. He smirked as he thought of the fear in their eyes. The girl they had killed quickly but painfully. The boy had suffered much worse. The had seen what he was going to do to Ashley and they were not going to stand for it.

"Ashley I'm going to move you alight?" Michael said to her as he carefully moved his arms around the girl. When she nodded he lifted her up from the ground. He looked at Marko and Paul and reluctantly gave them a thankful nod. "Thank you for helping her."

Both vampires nodded as they watched him carry Ashley away. Both waited a few seconds before taking off into the air to follow them. They were not going to let anything else happen to the girl.

* * *

Michael took her back to where they had parked the car and his bike. Luckily when they arrived they found Sam and Lucy there waiting for them and when they saw Michael carrying Ashley they both sprung into action. "What happened?" Lucy asked as she came over to check her daughter. Sam opened the back door for Michael to place her in then pulled one of the extra blankets they kept in the back out.

"I don't know." Michael said. "Some guys said that they found her like this in an alley."

"Put her in the car we'll take her to the hospital." Lucy said.

"No!"Ashley gasped. "No hospital." She hated hospitals. Ever since she was little she hated them and then when she had to spend a month there after the shooting she developed and even greater dislike for them.

Lucy shook her head. "We have to sweetie. We need to make sure that there isn't anything to worry about."

Michael got in the car with his twin resting in his arms as she curled in on herself. He hated seeing her like this. Bloody and broken just like after the shooting. He was supposed to protect her. It was his job as her brother to protect her and he had failed. First the shooting, then the way their classmates had treated her, and now someone had attacked her. He should have stayed with her. Shouldn't have gone to the stupid concert and followed that girl.

They wound up spending three hours at the local hospital. After being examined by a doctor they sent her down to have XRays done. Luckily there was no internal bleeding but she did have a few broken ribs and a severely bruised jaw as well as stomach. When they finally left the doctors had given her some powerful pain medications that were making her fall asleep in her brothers arms.

By the time that they finally got home Ashley was half asleep. "Michael." she called tiredly when he turned to leave her room. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Michael nodded and lay in the bed with her. They had done this many times over the years after they had separated rooms. One of them would sneak into the others room to actually get to sleep. Michael had more or less moved back into her room when she had gotten out of the hospital and had been having horrible nightmares.

* * *

Unknowingly to the twins they were being watched by two blonds that stood in the tree outside Ashley's bedroom window. Neither were happy about the fact that it wasn't them in there with the brunette but they knew that it couldn't be them. Soon it would be though. They would be with her. They would find out what had caused her to be so sad.

_Head back to the cave you two._ David said in both of their minds. _Max wants to talk to us._

_We'll be there soon. _Marko said. They both looked back at the girl that was crying silently into her brothers arms. They didn't want to leave her but the sun would eventually rise and it was never a good idea to cross either Max or David. Doing so would only get you into trouble.

* * *

For two weeks both Marko and Paul watched out for Ashley. Every night they would go back to the house and watch her. Doing so helped them to learn that she loved art and reading a lot. From what they could see into her room she had many pictures of her family and friends hanging on the walls as well as some of her artwork. They also learned about her limp and nightmares. At night she would cry in her sleep as she tossed and turned while mumbling in her sleep. With their advanced hearing they could hear her saying things like _Thomas no_ and _Don't do this_. Both wanted to go to her. Both wanted to make the sadness and fear in her eyes go away.

Max had told them of the plan he had to bring the family together. Marko and Paul were both on board when they heard that their Ashley would be part of it as well. Now it was just a matter of time. While Lucy had been to the boardwalk many times because she got a job at _Max's Video Store_ Michael, Sam, and Ashley had not. The brothers had taken to staying back with their sister to help her around the house. From the way that they acted it looked as though they were used to helping her. This made Marko and Paul want to know what had happened to her. Hopefully they would find out soon.

It was after they had feed with the others that they sensed her. Paul saw her first and pointed her out to Marko. She was with her brother Michael looking at a piercing place together. Her dark chocolate hair hung down her back in soft natural curls and she wore a black tank top that had a rose printed on it and black jean skirt that had chains hanging on them. When she glanced up at her brother the bruises on her face were still there but covered in makeup to make them less noticeable. She was leaning heavily on a wooden cane that had carvings of ravens and roses on it. To Paul though she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. Glancing at Marko he knew his brother felt the same way.

"That her?" David asked when he saw where his two brothers were looking.

"Yeah." Paul said.

Their blonde leader grinned. "She's cute."

Marko grinned like the cat that caught the canary and Paul smirked as he looked back at Ashley. David approved of her and that meant a lot to the younger vampires.

David nodded to star who nodded and went over to the two. It was time to start pulling them in. Max had given them orders not to pull the same stunt that they had pulled on Star by tricking them into becoming one of them. So they'd have to slowly court the two as it were.

* * *

"It's a rip off." Star said as she walked by the two. Both looked up at her and she smiled at them. "If you want one I can do it for you."

"What's your name?" Ashley asked as the two followed the girl. Well Michael followed and Ashley had to stay with him. Lucy's orders.

"Star." the girl said.

Michael grinned. "Oh your parents too huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ex-hippies. We were almost Moon Beam and Moon Child." He indicated the both of them. "But Star's great."

Star grinned. "Me too."

"I'm Michael and this is my twin Ashley."

Ashley smiled gave a small wave to the girl as the walked to a less crowded area of the boardwalk.

"Those names are great. I like them." the dark haired girl said.

"We were just gonna go get something to eat if you'd like to come with us." Michael said as the came to the pizza place Michael had parked his bike by.

Suddenly they heard the roar of about four d soon the three were surrounded. Michael moved so that Ashley was halfway hidden behind him as the bikes stopped. He was not going to let anything else happen to his sister. Glancing over at Star he saw she was as calm as could be. Maybe she knew who these guys were.

"Star." the blonde with a mullet called. Star smiled at him slightly. "Who are they?" Of course he already knew but they didn't know that.

"This is Michael and Ashley." she said.

Ashley looked at them before her eyes landed on the other two blondes. "You two...you were the ones that helped me that night." she said.

The curly haired one gave her crooked smile. "So you do remember us."

"We didn't think you would. You were pretty out of it." the one that had hair like Twisted Sister said.

"That's Marko and Paul." Star told her. She nodded to the other two. "And they're David and Dwayne."

David looked at the honda by Michael. "Nice ride."

"Thanks." Michael said as he eyed the four of them.

"Time to go Star." David held his hand out and Star took it before climbing onto the back and holding on to the blonde. "You know where Hudson's Bluff is overlooking the point?"

Michael looked at his bike. "I can't beat your bike."

"You don't have to beat me Michael. Just have to keep up." David grinned.

Michael looked at his sister before shaking his head. "I'm not taking my sister up there. I don't know the road enough to drive with her on the back."

"That's fine." Marko grinned. "She can ride with me."

"I'm fine with riding with him Mike." Ashley said. She didn't know why but she really wanted to go with them and she knew Michael did to. She wanted to find out more about the two that had saved her and Michael just wanted to met some people that he could become friends with. So far all that they had met were a bunch of Surf Nazis.

The twins stared at each other for a bit as they had a silent conversation with their eyes. Finally Michael nodded at her. "Alright." He looked at Marko. "If she gets hurt I'll kill you."

Marko grinned. "I won't let such a beautiful lady be hurt!" He laughed and held his hand out to Ashley. Blushing slightly at the compliment she took his hand and let him help her on to the back of his bike. He took her cane and hooked it onto the side of the bike before getting back on himself. "Hold on tight."

Ashley wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as he revved the engine. The other man that had saved her, Paul sped up next to them and grinned at her. "Ready for some fun?" he asked as he smirked at her.

Ashley couldn't help but smile at him as she felt her cheeks warming some. "Yeah." she called over the roar of the engine.

"You're gonna wanna hold on tightly." Marko said. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride." Suddenly they lurched forward and they were off. Ashley held on tightly as she let out a small shriek of surprise soon enough though she was laughing as the wind whipped through her hair and she heard the sounds of the others whooping and hollering as they rode down the steps of the pier and down the beach. When she looked over her shoulder at her brother she saw him following along.

The ride was fast and exhilarating to Ashley. She loved the speed of the bike as it felt like flying and the night made her feel _alive_. She hadn't felt like that in so long and it was a great feeling. As Marko swerved the bike around obstacles her laughter became louder.

Paul pulled up alongside Marko and they grinned at each other. Hearing her laughter made them both happy. When Paul saw her eyes the sadness in them was still there but it was pushed back as they lit up with her laughter. Smirking Paul pulled back so he was riding just in front of Michael. He noticed the guy was keeping watch on his sister as they rode through the rough terrain and that was probably his main reason for working so hard to keep up. He didn't trust them.

It wasn't long before they were racing along the train tracks. Marko had slowed his speed slightly so that he wouldn't accidentally go over the edge. While he would be fine and able to keep him and Ashley from actually falling to their deaths it wasn't time to show the two Emmersons what they were. Not yet at least. He heard Ashley laugh behind him and he smiled. Her laugh was bright and musical. Never had he heard someone laugh like that before and he hoped to keep on hearing it.

Soon they all slowed some to allow Michael to pass and get up close to David and Star. "Now we race!" David shouted over the roar of their engines. The other three bikes slowed so that they were behind them but were able to stay on their tails.

They watched as the two neared the cliff and Marko felt Ashley's arms tighten around his middle. He knew she was worried but there was nothing to be worried about. If Michael did go too far they wouldn't let anything happen to him. Sure it would push their plains forward some but that wouldn't matter.

Suddenly Michael but on his breaks and he skidded across the ground. David had won the race as he came to a halt with the front wheel of his bike just over the edge. Michael's bike stopped right next to David. He suddenly jumped up and punched David in the face. "What the hell you tryin' to do?"

"Michael!" Ashley called as she watched him.

Paul and Dwayne went over and restrained him. "Come on man just you! Just you!" he shouted angrily at David. "Just you."

David grinned at him. "How far are you willing to go Michael?"


	4. Chapter 3

Time for another chapter my pretties! Tell me what you all think!

**Chapter 3:**

They came to an opening at some caves and David and Dwayne moved some of the fencing away. Paul looked at Ashley and grinned at her. "Stairs aren't the best here." He turned his back to her and crouched down. "Hop on."

Ashley raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged and did as told. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she felt his arms come to support her under her legs as he followed David and Star down the old rickety stairs. Marko was in front of them and he smirked over his shoulder at Ashley who was looking around them. Behind the two he saw Michael glaring at Paul. Marko grinned as he turned back around.

"Dwayne!" a little boy yelled as he ran over to the dark haired vampire. The boy jumped down from the dried up fountain. Dwayne grinned and scooped the boy up and spun him around a bit.

"That's Laddie." Star said to Ashley and Michael. "He's Dwayne's little brother."

Paul sat Ashley down on the fountain's edge and handed her her cane. "Thanks." she said.

"What is this place?" Michael asked.

David grinned he brought his arms out in a large sweeping gesture to indicate the whole place. "This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla back about eighty years ago. Too bad they built it right on top of the San Adreas fault. In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up and this place took a header into the crack." He turned back to the two humans. "Now she's ours."

"You guys live here?" Ashley asked as she looked around a large grin on her face. "This place is so cool."

"Marko." David called to the curly haired man who was tending to his pigeons. "We're hungry." Marko mock-saluted him and left the cave. "That's what I love about this place; you want something all you gotta do is ask." He lit up a joint took a hit then held it out to Ashley. "How about an appetizer?"

She reached to take it from him only for Michael to take it instead. "Hey." she said as she glared at him.

"You don't need to smoke." Michael said as he took a drag. He then passed it to Dwayne.

"Who are you my father?" she asked as she made a face at him. This caused the others in the cave to laugh.

Michael scowled. "You can have a joint when you're immortal."

This caused the three vampires in the room to grin at each other. Star walked over to where they were and sat next to Ashley on the fountain's edge.

"Chow time!" Marko called as he jumped down from the stairs.

"Chinese...good choice." David said as he took a carton and held it out to the twins. "Guests first. Michael eyed it for a second before taking the box from him. Marko handed Ashley a box who accepted it as she smiled at him. "It's only rice. Don't you like rice? 300 million Chinese people can't be wrong." he said to Michael when he saw him hesitate.

Michael looked at his sister who was already digging into a box of sesame chicken. Deciding that there really was no harm he started eating as well.

David smirked. "How are those maggots?"

Michael glanced up at him. "Huh?"

"Maggots Michael. You're eating maggots."

Looking down at the box in his hand he indeed saw hundreds of slimy little maggots moving around in the box. He dropped the box and spit out the food in his mouth. When he looked down at the cartoon on the floor it was only rice. Ashley couldn't help but laugh at her brothers expense.

Star glared at the guys. "Leave him alone guys." she said. Even as she was trying to stop them from picking on her brother Ashley could see her trying not to laugh.

"Sorry about that." David said as held out another box to him. "Here have some noodles."

Michael looked into the box before shaking his head. "They're worms."

"What do you mean they're worms?" David said as he pulled it back and reached in with his fork.

"Don't." He cut himself off when he saw that the contents of the container were noodles. Just as David had said.

The dumbfounded look on his face caused everyone to laugh. Michael glared at his sister who was trying, unsuccessfully, to stop laughing. "I'm sorry Mike but the look on your face." she said as she tried to keep from laughing so much. He continued to glare at her which only caused her to laugh harder.

Paul grinned and grabbed his boom box which he turned to a rock station and cracked up. "Where you two from?" he asked.

"Phoenix." Ashley said. "It was pretty boring there. It's a lot more interesting here."

"Why'd you move here?" Marko asked from where he was with his pigeons. One of the birds jumped off his arm and flew over to Ashley and landed on her knee.

"Hi there little guy." she said as she rubbed it's belly with her finger.

"Our parents divorced and..some other stuff happened so we moved here." Mike said as he watched his sister. Had he not known her as well as he knew himself he would have missed how, even though she kept smiling at the bird and gently rubbing it's feathers, her shoulders tightened and the happiness that had been in her eyes dimmed slightly and the sadness became more noticeable.

Paul and Marko looked at each other as they noticed her reaction as well. Something bad had happened to her and they were going to find out. "He likes you." Marko said to Ashley.

The brunette looked up at him and blinked at him. "He's a beautiful bird."

Marko grinned. "His name's Jimmy after the single greatest guitarist in the world!" Ashley smiled at him as the bird chirped and flew off to be with his friends. Marko couldn't believe the effect her smile had on him. As cheesy as it probably sounded it made his entire world light up and it knocked the breath out of him.

The rest of the night was spent with them all just hanging out. Star and Ashley talked quietly together while the guys goofed off. Paul and Marko would sometimes go over and talk with Ashley before being pulled back into whatever it is that the guys were doing at that moment.

"We should probably be going." Michael said after awhile. "It's getting late."

David nodded. "Marko. Paul. I show them out."

"M'lady." Paul said as he crouched down once more for her to hop on to his back.

Ashley laughed softly and got on. She had the feeling he was enjoying this just a little to much.

Again Michael glared at the blonde as they went up the rickety stairs. He really didn't like the man being so close to his sister and touching her. He kept silent though when he saw how he made his sister laugh with his dumb jokes as they went to where the bikes were parked. When the twins got back he noticed something different about her. She was smiling more and her eyes looked brighter. She wasn't as quiet and she moved with more confidence. All things that had all but disappeared after the shooting. It had to do with those two blonds. He saw how they went out of their way to make her smile or laugh. How they watched her for any signs of discomfort. So for the sake of his sister's happiness he wouldn't interfere.

For now at least.

* * *

The next day Ashley went to the beach with Sam and Michael and sketched as the two practiced surfing. Sam kept falling into the water and eventually gave up and sat next to Ashley on the sand. The two watched their brother as he surfed. Like most sports he was able to get the hang of it pretty easily. Ashley, before she lost use of her leg, was into gymnastics while her twin was more of an extreme sports kind of guy. Sam was the one who didn't like any kind of sports.

"Hey girl." someone called. Ashley looked up from her sketchbook to see a man with a purple mohawk and tattoos all over his body grinning at her. "Why not come over here and hang out with me and my friends? I bet I could show you a real good time."

Ashley ignored him and turned back to the drawing in front of her. Beside her she could sense Sam getting annoyed and ready to let his smart mouth run off like he did all the time but she shook her head at him. She had dealt with people like that all her life and the best way to get to them was to ignore them. It really got on their nerves when they couldn't get to the person that they were trying to bug. It took a little longer then she had expected but he eventually did leave her be.

"I don't know how you can put up with that." Sam said as he watched her draw.

"Practice." she said. "I've dealt with it for years so I know how to handle situations like that."

Sam scowled as he looked out at the water where Michael was. "I still don't like it."

Ashley chuckled as she started shading in some areas of the drawing. Sam liked to think of himself as being her older brother even though he himself was only fifteen years old. "You don't have to like it." She turned the page in her book. "Now stay still."

For the rest of their time at the beach Michael surfed while Sam and Ashley goofed off on the shore. By the time that they were heading up on to the boardwalk to met up with their mother for diner Ashley's sketchbook was very nearly filled with new pictures. "So kids how do you like it here in Santa Carla?" their mother asked.

"I like it." Ashley said. "It's much cooler than Phoenix was and then people here are interesting." Michael grunted in agreement as he looked at the menu.

Sam shrugged. "It's alright. Not as bad as I thought that it would be."

Lucy smiled at them. "Good. I'm so glad you're all starting to like it here." She saw Ashley's book on the table and started looking through the pages. "Ashley these are amazing."

"Thanks Mom." she said as she played with a napkin.

"You could probably open up a stand up here and do those character drawings." Lucy continued.

Sam grinned. "Yeah! That'd be so cool! The ones up here suck! Yours are so much better."

Ashley blushed as their waitress came over to take their order. For the rest of their time there the family talked about their new lives in Santa Carla. For the first time in a year Lucy saw something she hadn't seen her daughter do since the shooting. She laughed an honest laugh. A real laugh.


	5. Chapter 4

And yet another update! I really enjoy hearing from you guys! Tell me what you thought about this chapter!4

**Chapter 4:**

Ashley had taken her families suggestion of doing character drawings. It didn't take her all that long to be noticed and before she knew it she was getting many customers. She had set up in front of the local comic shop where the two boys that ran the shop for their parents didn't mind. They had said it brought on more business for them when people where done getting their pictures. "Babe look at this!" a peppy blonde said as she showed her boyfriend the picture. "This is amazing!" The girl handed Ashley her money as the two walked off.

"Well aren't you popular." a voice said.

Ashley looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Marko and Paul walking up to her, "Hi guys." she said.

"We didn't know you could draw." Marko said as he looked at the display pieced she had up.

Paul plopped down in the chair that she had set up in front of her easel. "Do me." he said.

"But Paul I barely know you." she said innocently as she blinked at him.

Marko burst out laughing at the comment.

Grinning Paul winked at her. "Aw I know baby but I know that in time we will get there."

Ashley laughed and shook her head. "Keep still." she told him as she picked up her charcoal.

Marko watched over her shoulder as she drew his best friend. He was completely mesmerised by the simple movements of her hands. He watched as she used thumb to gently shade in the charcoal just so. Her fingers already had little smudges on them from doing that earlier it seemed. The look of concentration in her eyes and the way she bit her lip slightly made him want to lean over and kiss her. Once she had finished with the outline he watched as she selected a colored pencil and started the same process once again.

"Ok I'm done." she said as set the pencil in her hand down on the ledge.

Paul grinned and hopped up from the chair so that he could take a look. "Wow." he said when he got a look at it. She hadn't done a cartoon drawing for him and instead done a realism one. She had gotten his likeness down to the last detail in his leather jacket and she'd even managed to get the laughter in his eyes in the sketching. "That is really amazing. You really have a lot of talent."

Ashley blushed. "Thank you." She took the page from the easel and handed it to him. When he held out some money for her she shook her head. "It's on the house." This statement made Paul grin brightly at her.

"There's going to be a late night concert on the beach." Marko said. "Do you want to go with us?"

Ashley nodded. "Sure sounds like fun. My mom is going to take my stuff back in a couple hours."

"We'll meet you by the carousel then." Marko said.

She smiled at them. "Alright see you guys then."

They grinned at her and before she could blink they each kissed a cheek and disappeared into the crowed. Ashley's entire face heated up as she watched them go.

A few hours later Ashley was sitting on a bench by the carousel waiting for Marko and Paul. Lucy had been thrilled when she had learned that Ashley was going out with people other than her brothers. She had probably been even more excited then Ashley was herself.

"Hey there girly!" someone called.

Ashley looked up to see Purple Mohawk Guy from the day before and his friends walking up to her. Making a quick decision she grabbed her cane and stood attempting to lose them in the crowd. The guy and his friends only laughed as they followed her. One of the men grabbed her arm and jerked her back into their leader. "Hey bebe!" Mohawk Dude said. "I guess you didn't hear me yesterday on the beach when I was taking to you."

She tried to jerk away from him but he gripped her arms tightly with bruising force. "I-I'm sorry." she said. "I'm meeting some people soon and they'll be looking for me."

He pretended not to hear her as they began dragging her away. "We're gonna have some fun bebe. Fun you missed out on yesterday but don't worry we'll catch you up on it tonight."

"Hey what's this for?" one of Mohawk Dude's bald friends asked as he snatched her cane away from her.

Ashley stumbled as she lost her balance and only the grip the leader had on her kept her from falling over. "G-give that back! I can't walk without it." she said as she tried to snatch it from him but he held it just out of reach.

"Nah we'll just hold on to that for you for now." Mohawk Dude said.

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she pain shot up her leg even worse than before. The Surf Nazi's onlu laughed at her pain as they dragged her. She stumbled many times falling to the ground and scraping up her hands and legs where they weren't protected by the skirt she was wearing. When she cried out in pain they seemed to want to make it their mission to cause her even more. They elbowed her in the ribs, dragged her purposefully so she would fall, and they shoved her around. "Please!" she cried as she was dragged up from the ground once again by Mohawk Dude once again. Her face was covered in tears and dirt and her body was forming into one big bruise. "Please stop. M-my family is going to be looking for me!"

"We think you should listen to her." someone said from behind them. Ashley was just able to make out two figures standing behind them. She couldn't make out who it was through her tears and pain but she felt herself relax.

"And who's going to stop us?" Mohawk Dude asked. "You?" He started laughing which caused the other three Surf Nazi's to laugh as well. He jerked Ashley back into the wall causing her to crack her head against the hard surface and slid to the ground.

_Close your eyes Love._ The voice was so clear as it spoke to her in her mind and she was sure that she had heard it before. It had been there the night that Katie and Jason had attacked her. She had listened to the voice before and voice before and she would once again. Pulling her knees up to her chest she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in them as she heard the fight begin.

Paul watched as Marko shoved the bodies behind a dumpster before they wiped their faces of the blood that had covered them. Once they got Ashley out of there David and Dwayne would retrieve the bodies and dispose of them properly. Once they were sure that they had gotten rid of all the evidence they carefully made their way over to the shaking girl. Crouched down and touched her arm carefully. "Ashley?" he said softly to gain her attention.

Slowly one green eye opened then the other. "Pa-Paul? Mark-ko?" she whispered when she saw them. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she looked at them.

"Hey Love don't cry." Marko said as he knelt in front of her. "It's ok we're here now." That seemed to be all the girl could take as she launched herself into his arms and started crying.

"Come on let's get her out of here." Paul said as he grabbed her cane that lay a few feet away.

* * *

Paul placed a pack of ice over Ashley's knee before sitting next to her on the bed that they'd placed her on. It wasn't the one that was out front in the main part of the cave. That one was for Laddie and Star before they completed their change. This was a different room that was to be for Marko and Paul when they finally finished The Claim. "Thank you." Ashley said as she watched Marko place a bandage over the scraps of her right knee.

"What's wrong Ash?" Paul asked as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"I-I don't like what I've become." she said so quietly that had it not been for their enhanced hearing they may not have heard her.

"What do you mean?" Marko asked.

She looked up at the two of them and the sadness in her eyes shone so brightly in them that it seemed like someone had punched the two in the stomach. "A-about a year ago someone I had been friends with brought a gun to school and started firing." she said. "He shot me twice when someone tackled him to get the gun away. It's how I got this limp...the doctors screwed up when they were operating on it and now I'll never be able to walk right. After that most of the school blamed me for the shooting. They said that because of Thomas and I being such good friends that I should have been able to stop him. Some even thought I was in on the whole thing." Tears leaked down her cheeks and Paul reached up to brush them away with his thumb. "My dad just wanted me to toughen up and get through it but after my mom found out about how bad it was she took Michael, Sam, and I and left him. It's how we ended up here."

Marko moved so that he sat on the other side of her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I...I used to be strong." she said as she started crying in earnest now. "I never used to be so scared of everyone. I used to be able to take care of myself . I never needed anyone to save me."

The two wrapped their arms around her and held her close. "You are strong." Marko said as he kissed her cheek. "You went through something that most wouldn't be able to and you survived."

"Everyone is allowed to be weak every once in awhile." Paul said. "Just because you need a little help getting back to yourself doesn't mean that you'll never be that person again."

Ashley didn't say anything as she continued to lean into the both of them for support as she cried silently. When she had finally quieted they noticed that she had fallen asleep in their arms.

"Maybe we can get David to let us tell her about what we are sooner." Marko asked as he looked down at the brunette.

Paul nodded as he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Tonight. When he and the others return we'll talk to him."


	6. Chapter 5

Another Chapter guys!

**Chapter 5:**

Ashley woke just as the sun was setting the next evening. As she woke she felt two sets of arms that were wrapped around her tighten as she shifted on the bed. Blinking she came face to face with a pair of ice blue eyes and a smirking face. "Good evening." Marko said. "How are you feeling?"

"Be-better." she said. "Did I really sleep all day?"

Something rumbled through her back and she heard someone laughing. "Yup." Paul said as he propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her. "You we're dead to the world once you closed your eyes Ash."

She blushed bright red causing both Marko and Paul to grin at her. "Don't worry, Love, you needed the sleep it looked like." Marko said.

"Oh no! My mother! She's going to kill me!" She attempted to sit up but she had forgotten about all the bruising on her body, pain shot through her and caused her to fall back down onto the bed.

"Wow Ashley!" Marko said as he helped her to sit up against the pillows. "We took care of that already. We told your brother what happened and that you were spending the night here. He said he'd cover for you with you mom."

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief at that "Thank you." she said.

Paul grinned at her. "Don't mention it." He took his place sitting next to her on the bed once again while Marko moved so he was facing her with her legs in his lap. The two blonds looked at each other. They had gotten the ok from David to tell her about what they were. The only thing was that they didn't know how.

"What are those looks about?" Ashley asked as she looked between the two.

Again they looked at each other before Paul nodded to Marko. "There's something that we wanted to tell you." he said. "We're just not sure how you're going to take it."

"You guys have saved my life twice in the short time that that I've known you. I feel safe when I'm around you and I've…" she paused and shook her head before continuing. "You can tell me anything and I'll hear you out until the end before I make any judgements. I promise." She was not about to tell them about the feelings she started to develop for them. The both of them that is. They'd probably laugh at her anyway. While she knew she wasn't ugly she knew she wasn't anything special with her boring brown hair and ordinary green eyes. These two were both handsome and strong. They could both do a lot better than her.

The two blonds looked at each other before nodding. "What we're about to show you is kinda freaky so just….give us a chance to talk before." Paul said.

Marko carefully moved her feet off of his lap and stood. He tuned his back to her.

Paul looked at her. "Ready?"

She nodded wondering what exactly it was that they were going to show her. Then she saw Marko turn back around and she got a look at his face. A real look at his face. Her eyes widened in complete shock and her heart beat started racing. His entire face was different. He was no longer sweet mischievous Marko that was always smiling, no now he was something different. His once blue eyes were now blood red and he had _fangs_. Really sharp looking fangs. "Oh..my...God." she whispered. "What are you?"

Slowly his face changed back and he was once again sweet looking Marko. "We're vampires." he said.

"All of you? Dwayne, Star, and David too?" she asked as she looked wide eyed at the two.

"Yes." Marko said as he cautiously sat down once more. When she didn't flinch away from him he carefully put her legs back in his lab and began to gently rub her legs to keep her calm. "Though Star is only half right now. She hasn't allowed David to fully turn her yet. It's her little form of revenge after what he did."

"What did he do?"

This time Paul answered her. "He tricked her into turning without telling her what would happen. She says she will turn just not yet, Says she's waiting for something. What is we don't know."

"We're not going to sugar coat things, Love, we kill people." Marko said as he watched her carefully. She was pale and her eyes were as big as saucers but so far she hadn't freaked out. "But we try not to kill the innocent."

"So those Surf Nazi's and Katie and Jason are…?" she trailed off as her mind tried to process all of what they were telling her.

"Dead." Paul said. "As vampires we have the ability to read peoples minds and we saw that none of them were good people Ash. Those two you knew from school not only were they beating on you but the boy was a rapist and his sister helped him. They lured girls in and then she's let her brother have fun with them before they got rid of the body and fucked like bunnies themselves."

"Eww they were siblings!" Ashley said as she curled her lip in disgust.

Marko and Paul grinned at her reaction. So far so good. She had not freaked out on them as they talked. "Those guys from last night were going to...hurt you..use you and we were not going to let that happen." Marko growled. "So we eliminated the threat the best way we knew how.

She looked between them again. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and her head tilted to the side slightly. To Paul and Marko she was the most beautiful creature that they had ever seen and they hoped she wouldn't reject them. "Why do you two care so much about what happens to me?"

"Because…" Paul stopped. Should they tell her? They were already telling her everything else so why not. "Because you're our mate."

Ashley stared at the two of them her mouth hanging open like a fish's and her eyes had gone even wider than they had already been. Had the two not been so nervous for her reaction they probably would have found the comical. "Mate? Our? Both of you?"

Marko nodded. "You're our mate, Love." he said. "It's rare, even in our world, for there to be Tri-Mating but it does happen. And you're ours."

"Everyone has a mate." Paul said. "Some are lucky enough to find theirs and some aren't so lucky, For us vampire we can sense when we find our mates. It's like having a bucket of cold water thrown on you when you see them and they become your whole world."

"Wow...I..wow." she couldn't seem to say anything else. "This is crazy..."

"We know." Marko said. "We won't push you but we thought you should know."

It all explained so much. Why she felt attracted to the both if them. Why she felt so _right_ when she was with them. Oddly enough she wasn't afraid of them though she knew she should be. They made her feel safe and protected. Yes they goofed off a lot but they were always considerate of her. She looked at Paul then at Marko. Both had nervous expressions on their faces as they watched her. "I'm not afraid of you. Either of you." she said.

Both were surprised by her reaction to them. "You're...not?" Paul asked.

She shook her head. "No. You've saved me twice and have never done anything to hurt me. Why should I fear you?"

Marko grinned at her. "So you don't think we're scary monsters that need to be put down."

Ashley laughed and shook her head. "No I don't. Besides I've always believed in this sort of stuff. I don't know what it is but I have always known that there is more to the world then what we know."

"You're right about that." Paul said with a laugh. "Us vampires are only the start of this world."

"We'll tell you more about it another time Love. Your brother is on his way in here now." Marko said.

He was right as a second later the door was pushed open and there stood her brother. He glared at the two blonds that were sitting so close to his sister before he finally looked at her. "Are you ok Ashley?"

She nodded. "Yeah thanks to Marko and Paul I'm fine. They got to me before those guys could do anything serious." Michael examined her for anything that the two could could have done to her. He saw the faint bruises on her and his eyes narrowed. "They're from the guys that grabbed me last night." Ashley said when she saw where he was looking.

He didn't look all that much happier about that but he did stop glaring at Marko and Paul. "I told Mom you were staying with a new friend for the night but she wants you home now. Said something about wanting us to met someone."

Ashley sighed and nodded. "Ok." She looked at Marko and Paul. "Thank you for saving me again."

"We'll see you soon Ash." Paul said as he helped her off of the bed. Marko handed her her cane and the two walked with the twins out of the cave and watched them drive off on Michael's bike.

"She didn't freak out on us." Marko said as they watched the light from the disappear into the night. Paul grinned at his friend. Ashley not freaking out on them made them feel better. They were just one step closer to finally having her as theirs for the rest of eternity.


	7. Chapter 6

Oh my God I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the delay in uploading! With school everything got so hectic and crazy and I've barely had any time to write! This chapter is short, I know, but I hope that over Thanksgiving break I'll have more time to write.

**Chapter 6:**

The Emmerson family, minus Grandpa, were all sat at the dining room table eating dinner along with Lucy's date, Max. Along with that Sam had invited a couple of his friends over for dinner, Edgar and Alan Frog. "Lucy this food amazing." Max said into the uncomfortable silence of the room.

Lucy smiled at him. "Thank you Max. Ashley here helped me make it." Lucy said as she nodded to the brunette next to her.

"Well you two ladies have a talent for cooking." he said.

Dinner turned out to be an interesting affair as Sam and his friends pulled all these odd pranks on Max. Lucy was mad at them as she showed the man out and the three boys were forced to clean up the mess they made.

"What was that about Sam?" Ashley asked as she leaned against the doorframe in the kitchen. "I know better than to think its about Dad."

"You wouldn't believe me." Sam said as she put some dishes in the sink.

"How do you know I won't believe you?"

"Because it's completely crazy and I don't know is I believe it completely myself." the blond said.

"Well you better believe it Sammy." Edgar said. "Because it's real."

Ashley ignored him and continued to look at her little brother. "Come on Sam. You can tell me anything and I promise not to laugh."

Sam looked at her for a bit before looking back at Edgar and Allen who both nodded at him. "Well...I think that there might be vampires in Santa Carla."

Ashley looked at him for a second. "That it?" she asked.

"What do you mean is that it?" Allen asked as he stared at her. "Vampires are kinda a big deal."

"Well that doesn't mean much to me." Ashley said. "Ok there are vamps here but are they truly evil like you so obviously believe?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Now I'm not saying I believe you but for arguments purposes lets say that you're right. That there are vampires living here in Santa Carla. How do you know that they're evil?"

"Because they're killing people!" Edger shouted.

"But what _kind_ of people are they killing?" she shot back. "Looking at the missing posters all over town they look like most are gangbangers and were reported missing by their friends. How do you know that the people that they're killing are the ones that kill the innocent? Let's take the guy on the back of that carten there." she pointed to the picture of the little boy, obviously Laddie to her. "What if he'd been hurt by someone that the vamps killed and that's what happened? You three are blaming every missing person here on them and you can't do that. There are always the outliers and special cases." She pushed herself off of the door frame. "Well I'll talk to you guys later." Turing she left the kitchen and made her way upstairs. Leaving behind three stunned boys.

Later that night as she sat up on her bed she heard knocking at her window. Looking up from her sketchbook she smiled when she saw Marko and Paul hovering outside both grinning at her. Standing from her bed she picked up her cane, which had been resting against her nightstand, and went over to her window. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to see you." Marko said.

She smiled at them and stepped back away from the window. "Well come on then don't just hover there."

Grinning the two flew into her room and landed quietly on their feet barely making a sound. "How was your night?" Paul asked as he watched her make her way over to her bed. He didn't like seeing her limp and the pain he knew she was feeling because of it. It just made him angry knowing what she had been through. She didn't deserve any of it.

"Pretty entertaining actually." she said as she sat down and looked at the two. "Sam had some friends over that like to believe themselves to be Vampire Hunters."

Both men looked over at her with wide eyes. Vampire Hunters were serious business even if they were just kids. "What happened?" they asked.

"They thought our mothers date, Max the guy that owns the video store on the boardwalk, was a vampire and did all these weird things tonight: garlic, holy water. mirrors. Nothing happened, I mean he didn't react in anyway other than surprise like you'd expect."

"Did you talk to them?" Marko asked as he sat on the end of her bed. Paul flopped back in the desk chair next to the window.

"Yeah." she said. "Sam didn't seem to know what to believe but Edgar and Allen Frog, they're the ones that own the comic book store, seemed to be pretty adamant that all vampires should burn in hell."

"We should tell David about them." Paul said and Marko nodded.

"Why?" Ashley asked.

"Because even if they're not really a threat to us we can't be sure at the moment what they're capable of." Paul said. "They could be dangerous and it'd be best for our safety if we know what they're up to so that way we know that they're not going to come after us."

"I guess that makes sense." she said as she tilted her head in thought. "Which reminds me...how did Laddie come to be with you guys? I just saw his picture on a milk carton and was wondering…"

"Dwayne found him." Marko said. "The boy was in a foster home that only wanted him for the check that they get from the government."

"When Dwayne was out one night he found him and saw the way that they treated him. He had so many bruises that it was a wonder the agency hadn't taken him away from them." Paul continued. "He didn't want to leave him so he took him away."

"But not before he killed the family." Marko picked up the story again. "David was pissed at first. He wanted him to get rid of the kid but Laddie wanted to stay and so he's been with us ever since."

"So he was reported missing by the state then?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. They're not really looking all that hard though. Cops walked past Laddie all the time and they just overlook him. None really care enough to take him in." Paul said. He watched the way that she was favoring her one side. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah...just a little sore from the bruises." She shifted slightly as she leaned back against her pillows. "What are you guys doing tonight?"

They grinned at each other. "We were actually wondering if you wanted to go flying with us." Marko said.

Her green eyes widened as she looked at them. "You guys can fly?"

Paul grinned at her. "Yup!" He stood up from his chair. "What do you say Ash? Wanna go flying?"

She smiled at the two of them and nodded. "That sounds like a lot of fun. My mom and Sam should be asleep by now."

"Well then M'Lady," Paul said as he took her hand and carefully pulled her up into his arms. "Right this way." Ashley laughed softly as he scooped her up bridal style.

Suddenly the wind was rushing around them and when she looked down she saw that they were floating high above the ground and still rising. "Wow…" she whispered as they went higher and higher above the ground and soared through the sky. "This is amazing…"

"Knew you would like it Love." Marko said as he flew up next to them. The smile that was on her face made his own grow as he watched the way she took in the night.

"I can't believe you guys get to do this every night..." she said as she looked down at the water that they were now flying over. "This is amazing."

"You could join us you know." Paul said.

Ashley turned her attention from the scenery to look at the blond vampire holding her. "What do you mean?"

"We could turn you." Marko said.

"You wouldn't be able to be in the sun anymore...but you would be with us."

"I..." she looked between the two. "I...want to...but my family..."

"They may be joining us." Paul said.

"They...will?"

Marko nodded. "Yeah. The vampire that turned us has taken a liking to your mother. When we came to him about turning you at some point he said that we could since he was already wanting to add your mother."

"I...I don't know if I'm ready yet." she said nervously.

"That's alright." Paul said. "We'll wait until you are."

* * *

They wound up back at the cave. As it turned out Michael was already there with Dwayne, David, and Star. "So you decided to join us tonight." David said when he saw the three of them. "Michael here was just about to become a full member of our little...club."

Ashley's eyes widened and she looked at Marko and Paul. Were they going to….

Paul looked at her and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on him."

Marko placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "He doesn't know exactly what we are but he knows there's something different about us."

Daid looked over at Paul and jerked his head to the wine rack that was built into the wall. Paul nodded and went to get their special wine bottle.

"Michael is going to be initiated into the group tonight." Marko said. "I'm going to take you home since David is going to want us all to be there."

Ashley nodded and let him lead her out of the cave. "He'll be ok right?"

"Don't worry Paul and I will keep an eye on him." Marko picked her up in his arms and took off into the night.

That night she couldn't sleep. She stayed up listening to the sounds of the house as she waited for her brother to come home. All night she sat at her desk with a book or her drawings as the time ticked by on the clock. Her worry only growing as there continued to be silence in the house.

Sometime just before dawn she heard sounds coming from Michael's room. Standing from her chair she made her way to his room and glanced inside to see Dwayne dumping her brother on his bed. "Is he alright?" she asked quietly.

The dark haired vampire looked up at her. "He will be fine." he said. "The blood will slowly work it's way through his system so he will be very weak until he makes his first kill."

Ashley bit her lip as she nodded. "Does he know?"

"No but he will soon." The quiet vampire turned to leave out the window once more before he stopped and looked back at her. "You have made an impression on Marko and Paul that I have never thought possible...they are less reckless. I hope you choose to join us permanently." With that said he jumped from the window and took off.


End file.
